


Port

by curiouswildflower



Category: Do No Harm (TV)
Genre: Falling In Love, Other, some physical violence, the pirate au someone had to write eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 07:06:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12103380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiouswildflower/pseuds/curiouswildflower
Summary: "The morning of his third day, Ruben is found."--Pirate AU





	Port

**Author's Note:**

> my endless love and gratitude to the girls. <3
> 
> Warnings for some physical violence and discussion of injuries. If anyone wants more detailed warnings than that, or thinks there's anything I should tag for, please let me know. this is unbetaed.

The morning of his third day, Ruben is found.

He awakens to a flash of light as someone moves the rope bundled above his head. He hears a low voice ask, “What are you doing here?” before his arm is grabbed and he’s jerked out of his hiding place. He gasps as the motion jars his wounds, shifting bandages rubbing rough against his tender skin, and the dark fingers wrapped around his bicep loosen.

“Shit, are you hurt?”

The tone of his voice confuses Ruben’s instinct to run, and instead he risks looking up at his captor. He registers in pieces – tall, dark, shirtless. 

The man speaks again in that low smooth voice, “I have to take you to the captain, and I have to restrain you. Can you put your wrists behind your back?”

Ruben can’t think past his brain shouting _Run_ and his body screaming _Submit_ but when he feels the man’s other hand wrap around his wrist _Run_ flares louder and he jerks back, breaking out of his hold and crashing hard into a pile of sack grain. The man curses and dives after Ruben – Ruben tries to roll away but his left elbow gives out when he pushes himself up and then the man lands on him heavily, hands pinning Ruben’s shoulders and a knee between his legs. Through the haze of his adrenaline Ruben feels his back spasm and he gasps as the man lifts himself up with his hands still planted firmly on Ruben’s shoulders. 

“Come on,” the man says, voice sterner now but still careful as he shifts his grip to Ruben’s wrists. Pain radiates up Ruben’s spine as he’s twisted to the side. His hands are maneuvered behind his back and Ruben loosens his gritted teeth just enough to bite his tongue.

The man stands, pulling Ruben up with him. His body is pulsing _submit, submit_ and he lets himself be led to the stairs. He’s stopped with his bare feet just touching the bottom step, and the man reaches over to grab a length of rope.

The man is gentle as he winds the coarse rope around Ruben’s wrists, but the feeling of the fibers dragging along his skin makes his hands go numb anyway.

\--

 

It’s clear Jason has only ever tied knots to secure lines. The knot digging into Ruben’s back is simple but tight, and if he stays in these bindings any longer he’s going to lose feeling in his hands entirely.

Jason paces in front of him, jacket askew and shirt untucked. Ruben watches as he alternates between rubbing his jaw and raking his hand back through his hair. 

“Ruben, I thought I could trust you.”

Ruben bites down on the sides of his tongue, trying to distract himself from how the hot sand burns even through the soles of his boots.

“This was my only opportunity.”

The irony of Jason complaining about being trapped in the academy while Ruben is literally being held captive isn’t lost on Ruben. He turns, and Ruben instinctively jerks back as Jason comes striding toward him. Jason wraps a hand around Ruben’s neck, face dark with anger. 

“You ruined everything.”

His fingers squeeze tighter as he lifts Ruben up onto his toes. Ruben starts gasping for air, whispers, “Jason, stop-“ when Jason jerks around again, letting go of him, and Ruben’s legs give out.

\--

 

Ruben feels a push on his shoulder and falls on his knees, landing heavy on the wood of the deck. His head hangs on instinct, watching as boots start appearing in the corners of his vision. He can hear the murmur of the crowd as if underwater, muffled and surrounding. He feels a presence at his back and tries to swim his way out of his head.

Suddenly, silence. Ruben feels it like a _pop_ in his ears. A pair of boots step out from the crowd gathered around him.

“Captain,” the man behind him says, loudly now. “Found him in the store room. Tried to get away. He’s injured.”

“How bad is he?” A woman’s voice, clipped and serious, from close in front. 

“I couldn’t tell.”

A moment passes. Someone else steps forward and kneels down. Suddenly a pair of hands appears in his line of sight, moving for Ruben’s collar. He tenses automatically, shrinking away as much as he can and hissing at the stretch of his back. The hands pause and a voice asks, “Tell us how you’re hurt?”

Ruben grits his teeth again. The boy asks again, in Spanish. Ruben jerks his head up, taking in concerned eyes in a round, freckled face.

The boy talks again, still in Spanish, “ _I won’t touch you if you can tell me about your injuries._ ”

“ _I tended them myself,_ ” Ruben snaps, “ _I’m fine._ ”

The boy’s eyebrows scrunch down and he glances up at the Captain. Frustration starts to burn in Ruben’s stomach, and although his experience with interrogations is admittedly minimal he doesn’t understand what’s going on.

“ _If you’re going to kill me, kill me._ ”

“We’re not going to kill you.” 

Ruben turns, squinting in the sunlight. The captain’s dark eyes are black and stern in the shadow of her hat.

“Where are you trying to go?” 

Ruben shifts, trying to relieve the ache building in his knees. “Halfway around the world.”

The corner of her mouth quirks up, just slightly. “We can get you there, but it’ll take a while. How are you going to buy your passage?”

She glances over his body, and Ruben wonders what she has in mind. Likely not the thing he offers.

“I’m a professionally trained medic.”

A murmur ripples around the crowd. The captain’s gaze doesn’t waiver. “How do you expect to prove that?”

“He can have the job if he wants it,” says the freckled kid from before, standing up from where he was crouched next to Ruben.

“Sonny,” comes a harsh whisper from the back of the crowd.

Sonny turns to look at whoever reprimanded him. “If he’s trained then he’s already better than me.” He shrugs. “But it’s captain’s orders, I know that.”

“What’s your name?” the captain asks.

Ruben takes a deep breath as it starts to sink in – he might actually get where he’s going after all. 

“Ruben Marcado.”

The captain glances between he and the kid – Sonny – and nods. “Benny, let him go. Dr. Marcado, get cleaned up. You can get clothes from Usanvi. We’ll meet in my quarters after dinner to discuss your placement and your destination.”

She turns to leave, shouting, “The rest of you, back to your posts. We’re to lose no ground because of this diversion.”

The bustle is sudden, people shouting and flowing around each other as the crowd darts back to wherever they came from. Sonny disappears below the deck, and Ruben’s breath catches in his chest when the presence at his back becomes suddenly closer.

“Welcome aboard,” Benny says, and Ruben feels the cold metal of a knife for just a moment before his arms are freed.

\--

 

“Welcome aboard, Dr. Marcado.” 

Ruben returns the salute Commander Young gives him, heart lodged firmly in his throat. He never expected his transition from student to faculty at the academy to go so smoothly, and he hopes she can’t feel how hard his heart is beating while she affixes the blue and white medic pin to his lapel.

Once dismissed, he turns and marches briskly out of the office. He turns the nearest corner and steps behind the door, indulging the urge squirm and flap his hands. After a moment, he squeezes his arms tight around his torso, exhaling heavily when he lets go. _He did it._

He returns to his room, already neatly packed - a useful outlet for his nervous energy last night knowing after his meeting today he’d either be leaving the school or promoted to the faculty. He sheds his jacket, folding it in his arms so he can rub his left thumb over the pin. _Dr. Marcado._

The letter sitting on his desk is already addressed. Fifteen years of letters as the only point of contact between he and his mother, fifteen years of good grades and promotions. Not many friends and fewer lovers, but Ruben likes to imagine his mother smiling as she reads his accomplishments. Her letters - always received one week to the day after Ruben sends his – always remind him of her love, her pride, and her offer that if he ever needed her again he was welcome back home.

It’s not the most eloquent letter he’s ever sent her, but he takes several minutes to carefully sketch his pin in the corner and thinks she won’t mind the shaky handwriting.

Letter sent, belongings packed, Ruben lays awake in bed. His pin gleams on his jacket, still slung over the back of his chair, and Ruben wonders about the future.

\--

 

Ruben’s bunk is a loft in the closet Sonny called the infirmary. The space is tight against the ceiling, barely big enough to fit Ruben curled on his side with his arm propped on the blanket he was given. The shelves are surprisingly well stocked, and the room smells clean under the heavy scent of the ocean air. Ruben watches the moonlight reflect gold across the bottles lining the room, clinking gently against one another with the motion of the ship. He can hear the waves thump, thump rhythmically against the hull.

He was given clothes from a man named Usnavi, a shirt and breeches to replace the ones he was wearing and new boots. Usnavi had introduced himself as the quartermaster. “These are actually my clothes, I think they’ll fit you better than any of the extras we have.” He’d said.

Ruben had tried to resist, growing exhausted under the continued displays of hospitality aboard what he’s pretty sure is legally a pirate ship. _Or illegally, rather._

Usnavi insisted, leaving the room to let Ruben change. Ruben stripped his pants, stepping quickly into his new pair. His shirt had taken some maneuvering, painfully peeling away from his skin in places where his bandages had bled through. He’d stood, breathing through the pain with his clean shirt in hand, when he realized he was alone in the store room again.

A shot of adrenaline ripped through his stomach. He turned, searching quickly for food or a weapon - there was no promise the hospitality would continue – there was no promise he would be safe here-

He found bullets and gun powder along a far wall, trying not to disturb anything in his search as he shifted a bag of bullets into a neater pile and revealed a pistol. He shoved it into the back of his pants as the door opened across the room.

He turned, jerking the shirt in his hands over his head.

“You okay?” Usnavi asked, his voice wary. “Looking for something?”

“Bandages,” Ruben spat out. “I thought I’d touch up my wounds before I bloody this shirt too.”

Usnavi looked him once over, something unsettled about his face. He took several moments searching Ruben’s face, and Ruben forced himself to maintain eye contact.

“All of that is kept in the infirmary. You’ll have to know where that is anyway – come on.”

Ruben sighed heavily as Usnavi turned and headed back out of the store room.

Back in his bunk Ruben breathes deeply. He can barely make out the blue of the ocean through the porthole outside his door. He thinks of his blue jacket, his white pin, and wonders what his mother would think of him working for pirates.

\--

 

It’s an easy job, all things considered. Most of his days are spent working directly with patients, bandaging wounds from sparring practice and treating aches and pains. He gets to help with a few surgeries, marveling over seeing the inside of a living body. Commander Young seems impressed with his work, and within a few months promises him a position on a ship come Spring.

She also introduces him to the prospective captain of that ship – a young man Ruben’s age named Jason Cole. Jason Cole is clean and handsome, light skin and light eyes and light hair brushed back from his face. He has a strong handshake and a gentle voice and Ruben might swallow his tongue right here in Commander Young’s office.

She thanks Jason for stopping in between classes and dismisses him. Ruben’s surprised when instead of dismissing him too, she invites him to sit.

She explains that Jason Cole has been having some trouble. He’s sick, she says, and he won’t be cleared to sail without daily, intensive interventions. Because she’s aiming to put Ruben aboard his ship, she’s trusting Ruben to start his treatments now so Jason has six months to improve and meet the standard for sail, and so Ruben can continue administering those treatments when they’re sailing together.

Ruben’s stomach starts to twist as she explains. It seems like a considerable amount of responsibility, to be trusted entirely with the medical care of the top cadet at the academy.  
Ruben’s brain buzzes with nervous excitement when he shakes hands with Commander Young and accepts the position.

\--

 

Ruben becomes accustomed to the ship quickly, despite having never been on one before. 

Sonny, the freckled boy who used to be the medic, primarily serves as the ship’s cook. He’s halfway decent at it too, and tries to explain to Ruben how he became the medic.  
“My cousin’s always getting himself hurt. He’s kind of a disaster, don’t tell him I told you that. I’ve been patching him up our whole lives, got pretty good at it, so Cap’n made me the medic too.”

The cousin, Ruben figures out, is Usnavi the quartermaster. Sonny’s right too – Usnavi is by far his most frequent patient. It only takes a few days for Usnavi to warm to Ruben, which primarily means pulling him up from the belly of the ship while chattering about how Ruben needs to be sure he gets fresh air. 

“Can’t have our medic getting sick,” he says, bumping his shoulder against Ruben’s where they lean against the rail. The sea is calm, a bright turquoise rippling with sunlight. Ruben also learns that where Usnavi’s supply lists are nearly indecipherable, he has an incredible head for numbers.

The other head for numbers on board is Nina, the first mate. She seems just as fierce as the captain, but Ruben can tell it doesn’t come as naturally to her. There’s a warm excitement that starts to shine through her façade after Ruben brings her dinner one night and asks about the map she’s studying.

The captain, however, is a bit of a mystery. If Ruben hadn’t seen her hint of a smile on the day he was discovered he wouldn’t have thought it possible. She’s thoughtful and concise, careful and articulate. She’s one of the most impressive and intimidating people Ruben has ever met, and he spends more than one afternoon glancing at her and imagining her running the academy. 

And then, finally, they make port. Ruben is ordered to stay on the ship, along with Daniela and a few other crew members, and defend it from potential attackers while the majority of the crew heads to land. 

Usnavi distributes weapons, guns and swords kept below deck while they were at sea. The captain grabs a sword and holds it out to Ruben. “Can you fight?”

His stomach twists. “No.”

The captain hesitates, then lowers her outstretched arm. “You don’t know how?”

The tightness travels up his chest and throat. “No.”

She looks considering, dark eyes softer than he’s ever seen them before. 

“Right,” she says, handing the sword back to Usnavi. “Someone will teach you.”

She turns and starts shouting orders, sending Nina on one last check of the crew before they head onto land. Ruben watches them retreat and curls his right hand around his left elbow, tucking his arm tight against his side.

\--

 

Jason Cole convinces himself he needs to pay Ruben back for his help. Jason Cole says he feels better than he has in months. Jason Cole insists that Ruben needs to improve his fighting if he’s going to live on a ship.

Which is how Ruben finds himself strapped into practice armor like he’s twelve years old again, standing across a sparring ring from Jason Cole. He thinks he does well, doesn’t seem to take too many hits, but Jason seems disappointed. Jason works him hard, several times a day, and soon between training and treatments he’s with Jason almost all day long.

He learns that Jason considers this promotion his chance for freedom. He feels trapped in the academy, trapped under the weight of his father’s expectations. He talks endlessly about the power of an armada, his dreams for controlling the sea.

Ruben prefers to let the sea be in control of itself, but in just a couple months Jason is his ticket into an incredible opportunity so Ruben doesn’t mind listening to Jason talk.  
Besides, he likes the training. He likes the effect it’s having on his body, he likes the small touches Jason gives him to adjust his position. He likes the weight of the sword in his hand, the sound of his breathing in his ears and the way a well-delivered hit rings up his arms. He learned the basics when he was a child, but this is considerably different. As the snow clears and the seasons turn toward Spring, Ruben feels ready.

\--

 

They make port several weeks in a row, and each time as Usnavi distributes weapons Ruben can feel the captain’s eyes trained on him. After they return she announces that they should prepare for several long months at sea, and once the ship is heading back onto open water she corners him in the infirmary as he sorts the medicine Carla pilfered into its proper containers.

“I sustained an injury on my arm that I need you to look at.”

He sits across from her as she pulls back her sleeve to reveal a long gash in her forearm. She glances at his face and he meets her cool, dark eyes.

“Let me clean it. It might need a couple stitches, here at the widest part.”

He settles her arm down on the table between them and begins to clean the wound. Several minutes of silence pass between them, save for the thump, thump of the waves against the hull and the chatter of the crew on deck above them.

“You truly don’t know how to fight?”

The needle Ruben is disinfecting almost slips from his fingers. He takes a measured breath, grabbing thin twine. 

“That is not completely accurate.”

He can tell she’s watching his face as he bends to sew up the cut. In the renewed silence he can hear her taking slow, purposeful breaths. About halfway through she shifts and he glances up to notice her right hand closing into a fist.

“I know how to fight.”

She waits, he works. They both breathe deeply, almost in sync.

“I am unable to fight with a sword. My left arm is permanently injured.”

“Then Usnavi and I will train you to fight with your right.”

He leans back to fetch his knife, cutting the twine. Ruben sets the needle in his basin to wash and slots the knife back into its drawer. When he turns back, the captain’s face is earnest. 

“We have months before our next port. Usnavi and I will teach you to fight with your right.”

Ruben imagines the weight of a sword in his hand, wonders if it will relieve some of the weight he’s carrying under his skin.

“Okay, thank you. I would be honored.”

\--

 

“No, thank you,” Ruben says. Commander Young sets the offered teacup back on her desk, motions for Ruben to sit. The rain pattering softly against the window behind her desk makes the ocean the same greyish tint as the sky. 

“Tell me how Jason Cole is progressing with treatments.”

Ruben swallows. “Plainly speaking, Commander, he isn’t.”

“Dr. Marcado.” 

Ruben forces his eyes to her face, settling for her eyebrows.

“I haven’t seen any improvement in Cadet Cole’s condition for approximately two months, Commander Young.” He leans forward, setting the file on her desk. She scans through the documents, Ruben sees flashes of his own handwriting and his meticulously annotated diagrams.

After she closes the file she takes a sip of her tea, turning in her seat. The bleak grey outside reflects in her bleak expression.

“This is unfortunate news, Dr. Marcado. Thank you for your work, it’s clear you’ve done all you could.”

Ruben presses his palms onto his thighs, resisting the urge to twist his fingers together. “Commander Young, Cadet Cole will not be found fit to sail in this condition.”

“That’s correct.” Commander Young settles back in her chair, lacing her fingers together. The rain starts to pick up, loud in the silence.

“I still want you aboard that vessel, Dr. Marcado. You have one of the finest skill sets we’ve ever seen at the academy. You set sail in two months, which will give us time to provide you a student to train in Cadet Cole’s interventions for when we find him a position here at the academy.”

Ruben can’t help digging his fingers into his legs, bunching up the fabric of his uniform. “Thank you, Commander. Am I to tell Cadet Cole this news?”

“No. It will be handled by my office.”

Ruben nods, though the Commander hasn’t turned from the window.

“You are dismissed, Dr. Marcado.”

Ruben salutes before he leaves, heart _thump thump thumping_ loud in his ears.

\--

 

Ruben’s breathing is loud in his ears as he ducks to avoid the arc of Usnavi’s blade and turns, smacking him on the hip with the flat of his sword. Sonny cheers loudly, someone claps. 

After months of a steady wind and steady course, their sparring has drawn a crowd. For weeks he’s met Usnavi and the captain during dinner, training after their duties were completed and the deck stood almost empty. They’ve talked and trained and fought, sinking into a new sort of familiarity with each other.

He’s learned Usnavi is the best fighter on board, though he only fights with the intent to harm when the situation absolutely demands it. He’s learned the captain’s name is Vanessa, that so often she seems silent and calculating only because her words have become stoppered in her throat. 

He’s learned how Usanvi’s hands feel over his shirt only after Ruben explicitly allows it – steady and gentle as he reminds Ruben to tuck his left arm against his side or to engage the muscles in his back and core to steady the blade in his weaker arm. He’s learned how Vanessa sounds when she laughs, turning her head away and hiding her giggles while Usnavi beams bright as the fading sun.

He’s learned they’re lovers. Devoted to one another with a steady rhythm they might have learned from the sea itself, flowing away and coming back to each other again and again.

He’s realized he’d like to be caught in that give and take with them. Ruben has dedicated himself to projects over and over throughout his life and pursed them with mindless urgency, but this feeling in his body is new - the ache he feels when he looks at them, the idea that he could dedicate himself to these two people.

Regardless of his desires, regardless of his fascination with the way they move their hands or the way they laugh, Ruben cannot help dedicating himself to his tasks. So, by the time Usnavi invites him to spar on a crowded deck to adjust to avoiding obstacles, Ruben finds himself matching pace with Usnavi step for step.

They back away from each other, Usnavi wiping the sweat from his lip with the heel of his palm and briefly obscuring his impressed smirk.

“Not bad, Dr. Marcado.” Vanessa says loudly, striding forward from where she was leaned against the mast. She turns slowly in a circle, considering. “Benny, can she sail herself for the day?”

Benny shouts from his place at the helm. “Aye, Captain. There’s wind and sun and sea. She could sail herself across the sky in these conditions.”

Vanessa’s lips curl into a smile, turning to face Ruben. “Dr. Marcado. Would you be interested in a tournament?”

A cheer erupts throughout the crew. Ruben watches Vanessa’s eyes in the shadow of her hat. “Are there any winnings? You’re pirates, after all. There must be something valuable at stake.”

Her smile becomes smug. Usnavi appears at her shoulder, flicking his wrist to twirl his sword. “A kiss from the captain.”

Ruben can’t help the clear surprise on his face. Usnavi beams. “It’s not as scandalous as it sounds. I never lose.”

Vanessa nods. “Not in years.” Usnavi tips his hat at Ruben. “So?”

Ruben smiles, feels his heat start to pick up its pace. “I accept.”

Cheers rocket through the crowd – Sonny jumps into the air, Benny laughs loud enough to be heard from the deck – and Ruben flexes his wrists to fight the urge to squirm.

\--

 

The crowd applauds as Commander Young steps forward to take her seat. Ruben tucks his hands under his legs, feeling the pressure on his hands and wrists and trying to focus on the Commander’s words. By some twist of fate Jason sits only a few seats down from Ruben, through all he can see of him are his legs loose and relaxed. He was found unfit to sail, and seems to have taken the news well considering he hasn’t brought it up to Ruben during his treatment.

A considerable amount of time passes full of recognition and condolences before Commander Young reaches the announcements of the new fleet and their respective staffs. Ruben recognizes a few of the younger students sat in front of him, fidgeting restlessly as they await assignments. There are four new ships joining the armada, and the final announcement is the command vessel.

“Head medic, Dr. Ruben Marcado,” sends a bolt of adrenaline up his spine and Ruben can’t quite bite back his grin. The sound of his excitement rushing in his ears almost makes him miss the name a few moments later, “Captain, Cadet Juliana Ofiera.”

Ruben leans forward just enough to see Jason’s profile – he’s clapping politely, face steady and unreadable. Ruben exhales and rises with the rest of the audience to salute Commander Young as she exits the stage. 

\--

 

Sonny and Pete, the first to compete, salute exaggeratedly to each other before they face off. Ruben smiles from his place along the railing, watching as Sonny dances back and forth on the balls of his feet. The matches are quick and varied, Nina taking neat notes to keep track of the ranks. After several hours and more than a few quickly bandaged nicks and bruises, Ruben stands across from Usnavi for the final match.

“Impressive,” Usanvi taunts. “This is quite a compliment to my skills as a teacher.”

Ruben laughs, “There’s plenty I know that you haven’t taught me.”

Usnavi flicks his wrist, twirls his sword. “And there’s plenty I know that I haven’t taught.”

He lunges, Ruben blocks, and it’s immediately clear Usnavi was holding back in their training. Ruben’s mind goes blank for everything except Usnavi, the way he moves his feet, the patterns he keeps coming back to. Ruben strikes a hit against Usnavi’s shoulder and surfaces from the buzzing in his brain long enough to hear Daniela shout, “That’s two and two!”

The fight grows rough, almost a brawl as much as a spar. Usnavi pushes him back and Ruben stumbles, falling onto his left arm. His elbow _cracks_ and he cries out, but as Usnavi rushes forward for his final hit Ruben swings his blade across the deck and smacks Usnavi’s ankle.

A gasp ripples across the deck, and the sudden silence rings in Ruben’s ears. He gasps for breath, propping his weight on his right arm to sit up. A hand appears in his vision and he sees Usnavi, smiling and panting and dripping with sweat.

“Well done, Ruben.”

He takes the offered hand and stands to the sound of overwhelming applause. Sonny’s arms fly around his neck and Carla plants a kiss on his cheek. Ruben smiles and ducks his head, stepping back. The crew give him space, chattering excitedly as Ruben takes a moment to set his elbow back in socket.

Silence descends again and Ruben glances up to see Vanessa stood in front of him. He looks around quickly, trying to determine where Usnavi went, _is this happening? Usnavi can’t be mad, these were the stakes-_

Suddenly Vanessa’s fingers come up to steady his jaw and Ruben’s eyes close as her mouth presses against his. The crowd explodes, laughter and whistling and commotion. Ruben can barely think outside of the feeling of Vanessa’s lips firm against his, the way she holds him in place while she adjusts and parts her lips and kisses him again. Ruben kisses back, opening his mouth under hers and sinking into her control.

Ruben opens his eyes as she pulls back, sees her smirking the way she does when she’s suppressing a laugh. She leans forward again and Ruben goes to meet her, but her mouth finds his ear instead. She whispers, “Come to my quarters after dinner.” And smiles as she turns away.

Usnavi finds her quickly, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into a demanding kiss. She laughs openly at the cheers from the crew, adjusting her hat and scolding them for neglecting their work. Usnavi’s eyes find his, curious and eager, and Ruben takes his first opportunity to disappear below deck.

If Ruben were honest with himself, he would admit he spends dinner hiding in his quarters. It takes several hours for his body to unwind from the fight – his skin hot from the sun and his elbow radiating pain. He begrudgingly fashions a splint, shoving down the flickers of frustration. He tidies his station meticulously, cautious with only one hand, and pretends he isn’t waiting for the murmur of conversation to die down from below him in the mess.

The sky is a deep purple by the time he knocks on Vanessa’s door. He’s surprised when it’s Usnavi who answers, though he realizes he shouldn’t be. Ruben takes the hand Usnavi holds out to him and lets himself be led back into his captain’s quarters.

They both look soft in the candlelight, nearly stripped down already. Their hats and boots hanging neat next to the dresser, Vanessa’s hair hanging in long dark waves over her shoulders, Usnavi’s shirt hanging loose at his neck and leaving his shoulders bare. Usnavi moves to stand next to where Vanessa sits on her bed and Ruben lets go of his hand, remaining close against the wall opposite.

“ _Rubén,_ ” Usnavi says quietly. “ _Ven aquí._ ”

Ruben curls his arm across his stomach. “What is this? What is it you want?”

“We want you,” Vanessa says. Ruben swallows.

“For now?” he asks.

Usnavi’s eyebrows pull down, his eyes becoming sad. “No, _querido._ For as long as we can have you.”

Ruben’s breath shudders out of his chest. Usnavi crosses to him, offers his hand again.

“We’ll have to – my arm –“

Usnavi nods, takes another step forward. “ _Lo siento._ That’s my fault, isn’t it. I pushed you.”

Ruben shakes his head. “And I’ve never – I mean, at school there were, but I haven’t-“

He huffs, bites at his tongue. Usnavi smiles at him. “We’ll figure it out.”

Ruben glances at Vanessa over Usnavi’s shoulder and she smiles at him. “Can Usnavi kiss you?” she asks. Ruben looks back at Usnavi and laughs. 

“Yes.”

Usnavi smiles, cups Ruben’s jaw in his hand, and kisses him.

\--

 

Ruben smiles down at the letter on his desk. He traces his fingers along his new signature, the formality of his assignment. Mama will appreciate it, he thinks. He wonders how time has changed her face, wonders if she’d recognize him if she saw him. He wonders if his dad kept his beard the same way Ruben likes his. 

He turns at the knock on his door. Jason leans against the frame, smiling his slick smile.

“Ruben! Let’s go for a walk.”

There’s a solidity to his voice that makes Ruben’s stomach curl. It doesn’t sound like Ruben’s allowed to refuse the offer. 

Ruben keeps pace with Jason heading down the beach away from the academy. Jason walks leisurely, his hands shoved into his pockets. Ruben shivers. Several moments pass during which the only sound Ruben can hear is the waves against the sand.

“Congratulations on your assignment.”

Ruben’s stomach twists again. He doesn’t sound very congratulatory. Suddenly Jason’s hand is tight on his arm.

“Aren’t you going to congratulate me too?”

Ruben swallows heavily. Jason hasn’t stopped walking, so Ruben doesn’t either.

“How could I forget. You don’t have anything to congratulate me for.” 

Ruben can’t help how his knees buckle when Jason’s fingers dig into his bicep. Jason jerks him to a stop, stepping close behind him. Ruben glances around at the empty beach, the sun dropping below the horizon. 

“Didn’t you hear? I was found unfit to sail. And you, Dr. Marcado, were not.”

Rope twists tight around Ruben’s wrists, rough fibers scratching across his skin. He can feel Jason’s breathing on his shoulders through the thin material of his shirt. 

\--

 

The breeze off the sea is cool, pushing around the collar of Ruben’s loose shirt. He’d realized once he put it on that it’s Usnavi’s.

A presence at his side. Usnavi’s bare arms press against Ruben’s where he leans against the railing next to him. Ruben glances over – he’s shirtless, with undone breeches.

“You alright?”

Ruben looks up from his shoulders, meets Usnavi’s eyes. Dark, dark – reflecting the ocean. Ruben nods, smiles.

“Yeah. You?”

Usnavi presses a kiss on Ruben’s mouth. “I’m wonderful, _querido._ ”

Usnavi reaches over, gently brushing his fingers over Ruben’s elbow. Ruben takes in a deep breath, feels the wood of the deck under his bare feet, reminds himself where he is.

“There was a cadet. Jason Cole.”

\--

 

Ruben wakes with a start as a hand fists itself in the back of his hair and yanks his head up. With his eyes blinking open he sees another hand right before it smacks his face. He curses under his breath and sucks his bloody lip into his mouth.

“Yeah, he’s awake.”

Sensations come to him in waves. Hard wood under his bare feet, the room dark around him. His hands bound tight behind his back still, his legs spread but unbound. He shifts his wrists and gasps as pain rockets up his left arm. 

The same hand smacks him again. “Stop squirming and pay attention.”

Ruben blinks and blinks, begging his eyes to focus on the man in front of him. His breath picks up as he registers _tall pale light hair_ ¬but the face that’s illuminated when the man steps into the moonlight isn’t Jason’s.

“Here’s the deal. Jason told us to get rid of you – I don’t care why.” Ruben’s breathing starts gasping out of his chest. The man behind him tightens his hand in Ruben’s hair and Ruben whimpers, tries not to jerk away.

“Now we can kill you, sure. That would be easy enough. He’s already done a number on your arm, not like you could fight us off.”

_A derelict dock, Jason sitting on his hips to hold him down. Fists, knees, some sort of blade – then Jason planting a knee in Ruben’s left bicep and twisting-_

“But if we kill you-“ he’s still talking, Ruben tries to drag himself out of the memory and pay attention – “we don’t profit from this.”

He stalks closer. Ruben can see him better the closer he gets – hands shoved into the pockets of his breeches – good quality fabric, almost uniform quality, where did Jason find these guys, are they cadets?

“If we sell you,” he continues, “everyone wins.”

Ruben tries to look up at his face but is stopped by the hand in his hair. The man reaches out, using his thumb to pull Ruben’s lip out of his mouth. He strokes across Ruben’s chin.

“So. Got any profitable skills?”

He presses his thumb against Ruben’s teeth, and Ruben drops his jaw open. The hand in his hair loosens as Ruben feels breath on the back of his neck – the man behind him must have crouched down. Ruben takes in a shuddering breath, then bites down as hard as he can, jerks his head back, and hears both men start shouting.

\--

 

“They left me for dead. I guess I proved too much work to get rid of, so Jason’s men knocked me out and dumped me on a beach somewhere.”

Usnavi reaches under Ruben’s right arm, lacing their fingers together. Ruben squeezes his hand, looks out at the sea.

“I had to see my mother again. That’s what kept me going. My arm was ruined – even if I knew how to get back to the academy I knew I couldn’t work. And Jason was there. I had to see my mother again.”

Usnavi leans his head on Ruben’s shoulder, his dark hair almost blue in the moonlight.

“Usnavi. I have to see my mother again. When we reach port – I’m going to go.”

Usnavi squeezes his hand. “We’re not going to stop you.”

 

He sleeps in their bed that night. Soft and warm, pressed between them, left arm rewrapped to sit tight to his ribs.

Usnavi helps with his arm again in the morning, listening carefully to Ruben’s murmured instructions. Vanessa watches them, still curled under the covers, tracing her fingers along Ruben’s bare leg. They dress, pressing soft kisses on each other’s shoulders and hands. A stillness sweeps over them when they hear Benny’s “Land ho!”

Ruben has no possessions that weren’t a gift to him. He tries to return the pistol he stole from the storeroom what seems like a lifetime ago, but Usnavi presses it back into Ruben’s hands. Vanessa steps up to them, reaching out to hold Ruben’s chin.

“Be safe, _Rubén._ ” She whispers.

His walk to the pier is halted frequently by rushed hugs from the crew – Benny, Sonny, Nina. Daniela kisses his cheek, Carla squeezed in next to her. Ruben nods at each of them, unwilling to push his voice out of his chest. He doesn’t turn once he’s walking on the dock. He can’t look at their faces, he can’t.

He barely sees the streets as he walks them. He can’t help the flickering at his vision – the memories playing like ghosts as he walks. He and Mama, trying on hats or licking candy off their fingers or carrying groceries back toward their house.

Their house. Mama’s house. Where his letters have found their resting place every few weeks for fifteen years. It looks different, but Ruben doesn’t know if it’s actually been changed or if his memory of it shifted in his head.

His feet bring him to the door without him telling them to. Fear suddenly squeezes in his stomach – what if Mama doesn’t live here anymore? He raises his hand to knock – he should probably say his mother’s full name to confirm it’s her inside – he feels the shape of her name in his mouth but when his fist lands heavy on the door his voice cracks on “ _¿Mama?_ ”

Ruben tries to listen past his heart pounding in his ears. Did he hear her moving inside? Did he-

The door swings open. A hushed voice whispers, “ _¿Mijo?_ ”

It’s her. Her dark eyes, her stern shoulders, her hand wrapped around the doorframe. Her face is heavy with fifteen years of worries, her hair shorter than Ruben remembers. Ruben’s breath stutters out of his chest as her eyes dart over his face. The disbelief on her face starts lifting into joy, and she whispers “ _Mi carino._ ”

“ _Mama._ ” Ruben repeats. Suddenly he’s in her arms, held tight against her shoulder.

“ _Rubén._ ”

And Ruben begins to cry.

\--

 

Ruben wipes the heel of his palm roughly over his cheeks. He’s given up trying to stop the steady stream of tears leaking out of his eyes. He’s too full of pain and exhaustion – there’s no room left in him for concern about appearances.

Ruben finds a town soon enough. He moves only at night, sleeping in shadowed alleys for short burst during the day and trying to quickly make his way to the docks. He steals bandages to wrap his wounds – coarse fabric that makes his skin ache. His left elbow keeps coming out of its socket so he gives up on it – tearing at his shirt for a length of fabric to secure it to his side.

The pain, if he focuses on it too completely, is unbearable. So he doesn’t focus on it. 

He doesn’t focus on it as he picks a ship. He doesn’t focus on it as he crawls through the belly of it, scraping his legs on rough wood and curling into spaces he doesn’t have time to question if he’ll fit in. He doesn’t focus on it until he finds a resting place – hunkered down next to piles and piles of bagged grains with a messy twist of rope over his head.

Finally aboard a ship, Ruben slowly lets his awareness of his body creep to the front of his mind. Within moments he loses consciousness.

\--

 

They spend hours sitting together on Mama’s couch. Ruben rests his head on her shoulder, feels her pull his legs up so they drape over her lap. Ruben tries to resist, his clothes are filthy, but Mama insists.

“You still fit on my lap, _Rubén,_ we just need to be creative.”

Fresh tears start streaking down Ruben’s face. Mama whispers, “ _Oh, mijo,_ ” and rubs his back.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t write Mama, I’m sorry – it would have been unsafe I’m sorry I didn’t write-“

“ _Carino,_ it’s alright. Tell me now.”

And he does. He tells her about being promoted, tells her about being kidnapped. Tells her about stowing away. Tells her about Vanessa, Usnavi, the crew of _La Mariposa._ He doesn’t reveal the nature of the ship, but Mama is smart.

“I had to find you, Mama. I had to come home.”

Her hand hasn’t stopped it’s soothing circles on his back. “Well, now you’re here. Can I tell you what I knew?”

Ruben nods. She reveals that she was contacted by the academy – a tragic loss, such a promising sailor. She knows nothing about Jason, and Ruben wonders what the academy knows.

“And now you’re here.” She presses a kiss on his forehead. “You’re a man. You’re more handsome than I’d ever dreamed you’d be, and just as lovely.”

They eat together, and Ruben tells Mama about his travels. Tells her more stories of the crew, tells her about winning his duel with his ship’s best fighter.

“He hadn’t lost in years, Ma, and I beat him.”

He feels five again, bragging to her about his shiny rocks and flourishing garden. She looks just how she did then as she listens – amused smile on her face and light in her eyes.

That afternoon, Ruben sleeps. He lays on the couch, desperate not to lose sight of Mama. She promises she’ll sit next to him with her mending, and he falls asleep to her humming. When he wakes she feeds him again, insisting he’s more slender than he ought to be. At this meal, she talks – tells him about his family and about her life these past years. 

Ruben is restless after dinner. Mama reveals she’s tired, presses a gold piece into Ruben’s hand, and tells him to go get a drink while she goes to sleep. She helps him rewrap his arm before he kisses her head and she shoos him out the door.

At the pub Ruben nurses a warm cider. He feels like he shouldn’t be surprised how well Mama still knows him – it feels good to get away from the house for a minute. To let conversation wash over him and let his brain drift. As he stands to leave he hears from his left-

“-Commander Cole.”

And he sits back down. Ruben waves at the bartender for another cider and listens as someone else continues.

“Fuck, Commander Cole? They’re dead. He’s a terror.”

“I can’t believe it,” says a third voice. “ _La Mariposa_ is supposed to be the fastest ship on the sea.”

Ruben chokes on his drink. He coughs quietly into his elbow and tries to breathe through the twist in his chest.

“They are,” says the second, “But Cole’s a nightmare. He’s killed the crews of eighteen ships in as many months.”

“Confirmed pirates?”

“Most of them.”

Ruben’s ears start to ring as panic rushes up his throat. He pitches his voice lower as he asks, “Where are these executions happening?”

The men look his way. The first says “Up shore at that academy of his. It’s some archaic shit he’s into – public hearings, hangings.”

“It’s all bravado.” Says the second, rubbing at his beard with a wide hand. “My wife went to the academy with him. Said he was obsessed with controlling the seas. Worst thing the academy ever did, giving him power.”

Ruben nods at the men and tips his bartender. He tries not to look like he’s rushing out of the bar, tries not to break into a run in the street. His heart thumps loud in his ears. _Vanessa. Usnavi. The academy. Jason._

The figures in the corner of his vision are different from his walk up these streets this morning – instead of him and Mama he sees Jason. His feet take him home, but he doesn’t realize he’s slammed the door open until he hears Mama shout, “ _¿Rubén?_ ”

His breathing huffs harshly out of his chest. The roaring in his ears hasn’t quieted any but he tries to seem calm as Mama appears in the doorway to her bedroom. “ _Lo siento, Mama._ Go back to bed.”

Mama’s hands tighten into fists on the doorframe. “Who’s hurt, _carino?_ ”

Ruben’s shocked enough that his ears seem to pop. “What?”

“Something’s happened,” she says, walking forward until she’s looking up at him. Her expression is stern. “Who’s hurt?”

“My-“ the titles get stuck in his throat. “My family.”

Mama nods, and marches past Ruben out the front door. He follows quickly behind her, rhythmically squeezing his hands into fists to try not to sink into his head. 

Mama pounds on the door of the house across the street. An elderly woman answers, woven shawl wrapped tight around her shoulders.

“Estela, Ruben needs your horse.”

_Abuela Estela_ Ruben thinks, as he quickly flashes through memories of drawing or eating or reading at her kitchen table. Estela looks between him and Mama, nods, and leads them around the house.

He thinks of the gun in his pocket, thinks about Usnavi, Vanessa – Estela nudges his side and Ruben uses his right hand to pull himself onto the saddle of a soft black horse introduced to him as Luna. Estela takes his hand and kisses it before retreating into her house. Mama runs her fingers through Luna’s mane.

“Be safe, _Rubén._ You came back to me. Do it again.”

Ruben blinks tears out of his eyes and sees them mirrored in Mama’s. He leans down far enough to kiss her head, and she squeezes him tight. His left arm aches where it’s trapped against his body and his heart aches to leave her again.

He squeezes his hand tight around the reins, spurs Luna into motion, and forces himself to remember the academy.

\--

 

The gallows silhouetted against the sunrise make Ruben’s stomach turn. When he attended, the academy had served as a governing body in theory only. He doesn’t remember the building having anything even resembling dungeons, but he does remember how to break in through the kitchen.

He tries to move both quick and silent, careful not to disturb anything in the empty kitchen. Ruben pulls his pistol out from where it’s shoved down the back of his trousers and realizes he doesn’t know if it’s loaded as he uses his shoulder to creep open the door to the main hall. _There._

Sitting against the wall further down the hallway is a guard. A cadet, surely. Ruben watches as his belly rises and falls rhythmically and thank you. Ruben recognizes what conference room he’s stationed at – suddenly he’s ten and being dared to release a mouse through a grate in the wall.

It works, it works. The grate is still there, the entrance barely big enough for Ruben’s shoulders. It’s tight enough that he sort of tumbles into the room, hissing at the pain in his elbow. He quickly kneels up and swings his right hand around, maybe-empty gun at the ready - and sits back onto his heels when he realizes there are no guards inside.

The crew sit on the rug in the center of the room in a tight circle with their backs to each other, presumably with their wrists tied. Most seem to be asleep, with heads tilted onto the shoulders of their partners. They look bloodied and bruised, but Ruben is distracted from his brain quickly cataloging their injuries when he hears his name.

“Ruben?”

It’s Sonny. Then on his left, Nina stirs awake and whispers. “ _Dios mio._ ”

Ruben exhales harshly, rushing over to them - _Daniela, Carla, Benny – they’re all here they’re all safe –_

“They’re not here,” Sonny whispers. “That rat faced ass hole took them somewhere else.”

Ruben almost physically feels his brain processing the information. _They’re not here, they’re not safe-_

“Usnavi put on some sort of bravado and convinced them he was first mate.” Nina looks livid. “Get us out of here and we can get them. I have a knife on my hip.”

Ruben kneels next to her. As he carefully cuts at her bindings, a stillness settles in his heart.

“No. You all need to leave.”

The few who are awake huff in protest, waking up anyone still asleep. Ruben hears his name a few more times, disbelieving whispers from voices he didn’t realize he could miss so much already.

“I know this building. I think I know where he took them.” When Nina’s wrists are free, Ruben presses the handle of her knife back into her palm. “Let me tell you how to leave, and trust me to get them.”

She searches his eyes, and Ruben’s heartbeat pounds in his ears. _She’s his superior officer, if she doesn’t approve-_

“Okay,” she says with a nod. Ruben’s breath wooshes out of him all at once. He relays hurried instructions to her as she starts working at the binding on Sonny’s wrists.

“Tell Usnavi he’s gotta stop pullin brave shit like this,” Sonny says, voice rough. He turns and coughs into his shoulder, flexes his wrists when they’re free from rope. “And get Vanessa too.”

Ruben nods. He rolls his shoulders, takes a deep breath, and stands up from the floor.

\--

 

He’s right again. Ruben doesn’t know how many lucky guesses he’s going to get, but his brain chants _thank you thank you thank you_ as he picks the lock to the office labeled with Jason’s name. He has a fleeting thought of what if Jason is inside quickly followed by what if Usnavi and Vanessa are and his conviction wins over his fear as the lock finally clicks open. 

As soon as he steps foot in the room he’s grabbed and shoved against the wall. An arm presses into his throat and he instinctively gasps for air before he starts to register hat, hair, eyes, Vanessa. 

She backs off just as quickly as she came at him, whispering a surprised “Ruben?”

He hears Usnavi’s gasped “ _Rubén._ ” before he’s shoved into the wall again as Usnavi throws himself into Ruben’s arms. He returns the embrace with his free arm, feels Usnavi bury his face in Ruben’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Vanessa says gruffly.

“I understand.”

Usnavi steps away from him as if drawn back toward Vanessa by her voice. Ruben finally gets a look at them in the orange sunlight streaming in through the windows. Dried blood streaks down Usnavi’s face from a cut along his forehead and a split lip, Vanessa’s hat casts shadows over her bruised eye and jaw. Ruben can only imagine what they might look like under their clothes, and as their doctor and their lover he aches to soothe their pains.

“We’re to be hung at dawn,” Vanessa says, her steely voice revealing how deeply terrified she really is.

“I can get you out.” His voice shakes as he says it, but Vanessa and Usnavi nod. 

\--

 

Their luck runs out on the beach. The same beach Jason and Ruben walked, the same beach where Ruben, his arm, it’s the same beach _it’s the same beach -_ a siren screams from the academy and Ruben flinches so hard he falls to his knees. 

Usnavi curses under his breath as Vanessa helps him to his feet. Ruben looks over his shoulder to see several men in academy red come racing up the beach, swords drawn and masks over their faces. He stumbles as Usnavi and Vanessa pull him into a run.

“Captain!” Off in the distance – it’s Sonny, leaning over the bow of a rowboat. Ruben sees the rhythmic motion of Pete and Benny’s shoulders, rowing fast and steady. 

Vanessa shoves at Ruben’s right arm shouting “I sure as fuck hope you can swim, Ruben Marcado.”

“Not as well with one arm,” he spits back. Usnavi pushes Vanessa out of the way, urges her _Go! Vamos, Vanessa._ And curls Ruben’s arm over his shoulders.

The water is warm against Ruben’s legs, waves flickering orange in the morning sun. Vanessa dives in next to them and moments later Benny pulls her into the boat. Ruben feels the ocean floor start to slope away from his feet as the men on shore start shouting, ordering them to halt. Ruben and Usnavi start kicking, slowly working toward the boat. A wave splashes onto Ruben’s face and he can’t wipe the water out of his eyes-

Hands under his arms and Ruben is pulled onto the rowboat. He lands heavily, groaning when Usnavi flops down on top of him. Vanessa strokes her hand through his wet hair for just a moment and Ruben’s brain pulses with his heartbeat _they’re here, they’re safe, they’re here, they’re safe-_

Usnavi rolls off of him and Ruben sits up. He prods his fingers over his sore elbow and kneels up so he can see over the bow. 

Standing on the beach – it’s Jason.

Masks now removed, Ruben recognizes a lot of the men. They’d been cadets when he was in school – he can picture their faces in the mess hall laughing together. And standing at the front, ankle deep in water, is Jason.

Ruben watches as Jason recognizes him. From anger to shock to anger again, Jason’s face looks sharp and cruel. Vanessa stands, raising her arm in a salute. From his seat next to Ruben, Usnavi flips him off.

But Jason only has eyes for Ruben. His gaze makes pain flair in Ruben’s bones – his elbow, his back. He feels like he’s suddenly glowing hot everywhere Jason touched him, hurt him. 

He digs his thumb into his elbow, letting the pain spark him out of the memory. His soaked clothes feel heavy against his skin, holding him to his seat. He has the ocean on him, under him, in him. 

Jason can’t take this from him.

When Vanessa sits, Ruben kneels up. He takes the pistol from the back of his trousers with his right hand and aims steady at Jason. He can feel eyes on him as he fires.

Jason jumps back as the bullet splashes in the water between his feet. He looks up, shocked, and Ruben can barely make out how his eyes dance from Ruben’s face to his gun to his bandaged arm. Jason looks furious, barking some indiscernible order at his men and stomping back up the beach.

Ruben sags down onto his heels. Vanessa reaches out to steady him and Usnavi presses a hand against his face. “We’re almost there, _Rubén._ You’re almost home.”

_Home._ Ruben nods, blinking salt water and tears out of his eyes.

“You did so well,” Vanessa whispers. “Thank you for coming back to us.”

Ruben feels Benny’s hand ruffle his wet hair. He glances around – Pete’s eyes are wet and Sonny’s mouth is pressed in a firm line.

“Fuck this place,” Sonny says sharply.

Ruben laughs. “Fuck this place.”

\--

 

It looks like no one touched his infirmary in the 24 hours he was gone. He sits heavy in his chair and checks the crew over one by one – sinking into the muscle-memory of his training as he applies ointment to rope burns and stitches up a few wounds. Vanessa and Usnavi come together, last in line. Usnavi sits in the only other chair and pulls Vanessa down onto his lap. Tears leak steadily out of Ruben’s eyes as he looks them over, taking this offered opportunity to carefully massage every ache and soothe any pain.

He dismisses them when he’s done. _He has work to do. It’s been a long 24 hours._

He wipes the heel of his palm over his cheeks periodically as he scrubs down the infirmary. It’s only midmorning, the water is bright blue through the porthole outside his door. Ruben feels like someone’s scooped out his organs and filled his whole body with exhaustion, but when he lays in his bunk he can’t fall asleep.

He can feel eyes on him as he makes his way onto the sunny deck. He doesn’t look at the crew, he doesn’t look at the retreating shape of the academy as they sail away. He walks straight to where he sees Usnavi with Vanessa at her post. He’s aware enough to recognize the hush that’s fallen on the crowd, remembers the hush when he won their tournament.

Vanessa smiles at him when he reaches them.

“I love you.” Ruben says. He looks at Usnavi, says it again. “I love you.”

There are tears in Usnavi’s eyes. Ruben thinks maybe if he wasn’t so exhausted he would have thought to do this somewhere without a crowd.

“ _Te amo tambien._ ” Usnavi says. Vanessa nods. “ _Te amo, Rubén._ ”

Nina appears at Vanessa’s side. “Sleep, you three. We can sail without you.”

Vanessa takes one of Usnavi’s hands and one of Ruben’s, leading them toward her cabin. The sound of the crew working picks up again as they pass by. Ruben thinks he might be falling asleep as he walks, remembering the route in bursts. Vanessa pushing open her door, then Usnavi helping him out of his clothes stiff from dried salt-water, then Usnavi and Vanessa pressing in on either side of him in her bed.

With the warm morning sun on his arms, Usnavi and Vanessa’s steady breath on his shoulders, and the rhythmic swell of the ship – Ruben falls asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you, thank you, thank you. I can be found on tumblr at maeflowerpetunia. <3


End file.
